Can Virtual Influencers be An Alternate to Human Influencers? Factors Affecting Product/Service Attitudes, and Brand Attitudes, and Purchase Intention

The use of Virtual Influencer (VI) has increased in popularity due to the advantages they offer over human influencers. However, as the VI market is still in its nascent phase, the factors influencing purchase intention when using VIs remain poorly understood. Given this context, this study aimed to investigate factors influencing purchase intention based on the attributes of VIs. To this end, we developed a structural equation model incorporating purchase intention, product/service attributes, brand attitudes, and the five characteristics of VI. A total of 528 participants completed an online survey, and the responses were subjected to analysis using the partial least square (PLS) method. The results showed that product/ service attributes (R² = 0.699) and brand attitudes (R² = 0.849) significantly influenced purchase intention (R² = 0.704). Among the VI attributes, physical attractiveness (β = 0.258, p < 0.001) and trustworthiness (β = 0.250, p < 0.001) had the strongest effects on product/service attributes, while physical attractiveness (β = 0.143, p < 0.001) and social attractiveness (β = 0.102, p < 0.01) influenced brand attitudes. The findings of this study are expected to provide significant evidence for researchers and engineers involved in the development and design of VIs.